Post on 17-Jun-2020
Central Regional
Conservationist Tom Christensen
welcomed participants to the first
NRCS Joint Diversity Conference
themed, “Partners Retooling for
the Future to Accomplish Unity
and Diversity.” Mr. Christensen
said that this conference offers
attendees exceptional
opportunities for networking with
state conservationists and others
from across the nation and NHQ.
Missouri and Kansas state
conservationists both helped set
the stage for the conference by
showing informational videos
about their respective states.
Missouri highlighted its diverse
agriculture while Kansas
highlighted its diverse
workforce.
NRCS Chief Dave
White told of Hugh
Hammond Bennett’s
love for the soil and his
patient efforts to promote
the importance of soil. He
quoted Bennett, “If we take care
of the land, the land will take
care of us.”
The Presidents of the
NOPBNRCSE, NOPHNRCSE,
APIO and Roylene Rides at the
Door, STC in Washington state
representative the AIANEA gave
opening remarks that mirrored
one another. From commenting
on the historic milestone of this
J O I N T O P E N I N G C E R E M O N Y By Mary Shaffer, PAS, Kansas
Training Conference Newsletter
W A L K I N G T H E T A L K P . 2
R E O R G A N I Z A T I O N F U T U R E D I R E C T I O N S P . 3
C A R E E R F A I R P . 4
U P D A T E S P . 4
H O S P I T A L I T Y
U P D A T E S P . 4
Daily Schedule
Vendor/Exhibit Area Open 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Joint General Session
8:00 - 10:00 AM Concurrent Workshops
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Prof. Organization
Luncheons 12:15 - 2:00 PM
Concurrent Workshops 2:15 - 3:45 PM
Concurrent Workshops 4:00 - 5:15 PM
Joint Auction Social 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Networking - Hospitality Suites 9:00 - 11:00 PM
(Please check your program
agenda for locations.)
Take a Look Inside
conference, to the beneficial
training ahead, each speaker
gave his or her support for this
momentous endeavor.
Other speakers included
Joseph Hairston, Director of
Office of Civil Rights, NRCS and
Michael Watts, Director, Office
of Compliance, Policy and
Training. Both speakers
emphasized the importance of
diversity within USDA.
J O I N T L U N C H E O N O V E R V I E W By Lori Valedez, PAS, Texas
Dr. Alma Hobbs, USDA deputy assistant secretary for
administration, spoke at the Joint
Training Conference luncheon on
Tuesday, March 16, 2010,
bringing Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack’s vision for USDA -
touching lives of people every
day in every way. Hobbs spoke
on behalf of Pearlie Reed, USDA
assistant secretary for
administration.
Hobbs said it is the responsibility of every USDA
employee to ensure that all
USDA programs and
services meet the needs of
our customers. “Take
personal responsibility to be
the change you want to see at
USDA,” Hobbs said. “Unity
and diversity lead to
inclusion.”
Hobbs outlined major efforts at USDA that are under
the responsibility of Assistant
Secretary Reed. The top
Native America Presentation of Colors.
Dr. Alma Hobbs, USDA Deputy Assis-tant Secretary for Administration
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
(Continued on page 2)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) is an equal opportunity provider
and employer.
that same door. It will be changed forever.”
The task force reviewed
employee satisfaction surveys
and five top issues consistently
emerged: Leadership,
Employee Development, Talent
Management, Recruitment and
Retention, and Community
Outreach.
Another effort of the task
force is a nationwide training
component. The task force is
also looking to agencies to
develop process improvement
initiatives. Each agency will be
asked to develop one idea for
improvement and present that
to the Secretary on March 31.
priority was to reorganize the department’s administrative
functions under four new areas:
Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights;
Office of the Chief Information
Officer; Chief Financial Officer,
and the new Office of
Advocacy and Outreach.
The Secretary has
developed a cultural
transformation task force, a
diverse group of agency
leaders to help create the
change he wants to see at
USDA. “By transformation, we
mean irreversible change,” Hobbs said. “Once you go out
a door, you cannot go back in
If we reach our cultural transformational goals, Hobbs
said USDA will be an inclusive
department, providing
equitable opportunity and
empowerment to all
employees. She said we will
also modernize our
technology to improve our
services, improve our past
and future records on civil
rights, establish a system of
accountability, and increase
diversity in the workplace.
“We are working hard to
transform USDA to
accomplish unity and diversity,” Hobbs said. “We
are going to put in place a
J O I N T L U N C H E O N ( C O N T I N U E D )
Source/Submitted by: Lori Valedez, PAS, Texas
H E L P I N G P E O P L E H E L P T H E L A N D
Motivational speaker, Michael Aronin
to him for a while. I wish I had the energy that he has.
We all complain everyday
about work, life, family,
friends, the traffic and the list
goes on and on. Michael
was born with cerebral palsy
and he has had to overcome
challenges. Instead of
complaining, he chooses to
be cheerful, happy and
energetic. We all could
learn from him – ‘no matter
how hard the situation, it can
be overcome, with help and
dedication.’
W A L K I N G T H E T A L K
Source/Submitted by: Astrid Martinez
D I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y Page 2
Michael Aronin’s presentation was heartwarming
and humorous. He engaged
the audience with such energy
and laughter with life
experiences on how to
overcome his own obstacles
with humor not with anger or
frustration. Through his life, his
hardest obstacle to overcome
was the way people perceived
him. He advised us not to judge
people by their appearance, but
to give the person the
opportunity for him or her to
show you what they are capable
of doing and achieving.
During his game of a one brain person he demonstrated
that we need to work together
to achieve a common goal and
how working together is always
a win/win situation.
One of the questions asked by
the audience was do we offer
help to a handicap person or
should we wait for him or her to
ask us? Michael stated that
you can ask if he/she needs
help. It’s good for persons with
disabilities to know that you
care.
I personally met Michael
and had the opportunity to talk
system that stands the test of
time.”
Alma Hobbs with Terry Cosby , above and Kalven Trice, below.
“What will we look like in the next 75 years?” Chief White asked the attendees at the Diversity Conference during the Tuesday afternoon Joint session. “We will be well educated and more diverse. We will need people with new ideas and broad perspectives. Our customers will be more diverse.” The Chief acknowledged the need to revamp recruitment and training but warned of the challenges caused by the enormous budget deficit that Congress will have to address. Broadening our customer base by bringing in new kinds of producers, small scale farmers, organic growers, as well as
serving our traditional base is how NRCS can continue to grow and innovate despite potential budget challenges.
“The partnership between NRCS and the National Association of Conservation Districts is the envy of the world,” said NACD representative Steve Robinson during the Voices from our Partners panel. According to Mark Clark, President of the National Association of State Conservation Agencies, one of the best places for learning about on-the-ground conservation success stories is the NASCA network. Composed of scientists, educators,
practitioners, and farmers, the Soil and Water Conservation Society promotes the science behind conservation. It aims to help members with professional development through its journals, conferences, trainings and local state chapters, according to SWCS Executive Director Jim Gulliford. Connie Richmeier, President of the National Conservation District Employees Association, remarked how the NCDEA is considering how to integrate diversity into all aspects of its programs and services.
Jessie Dyer, NOPHNRCSE
recipient, is currently a NRCS
soil conservationist in Rhode
Island. She heard about NRCS
while participating in the
Envirothon and researched
scholarships through NRCS on
her own. “The NOPHNRCSE
scholarship helped me at a
time that I needed financial
assistance the most with my
books and fees. It also
introduced me to a network of
people that have helped me
solidify my commitment to stay
with the agency.”
Kevin Farmer, NOPBNRCSE
recipient, is currently the State
Conservation Engineer in
Warwick, Rhode Island. He
Talk is cheap, right? Not today.
While talk may be cheap for
many, it may prove to be one of
the most beneficial resources for
raising money at the Joint Auction
Social. On Wednesday, the
APIO, NOPBNRCSE and the
NOPHNRCSE will host an
auction to raise funds for
scholarships to deserving college
students to cover costs for tuition,
books, meals or other necessary
costs.
As the cost of tuition rises,
college scholarships are needed
more than ever. Three recipients,
one from each of the three
professional organizations, talked
about the importance of their
scholarship award.
has benefited
tremendously
from a
scholarship from
NOPBNRCSE as
a student at
Florida A&M University.
“Although I received the
Arkansas chapter
scholarship several years
ago, I have not forgotten their
kindness or generosity
throughout my NRCS
career.”
Phuong Ly, APIO recipient, is
a soil conservationist in
Petaluma, California. She
first learned about NRCS and
the APIO scholarship from a
R E O R G A N I Z A T I O N W / C H I E F & P A R T N E R S
Source/Submitted by: Yuri Plowden, Pennsylvania
B R I N G Y O U R $ $ $ T O T H E J O I N T A U C T I O N S O C I A L
By Dastina Johnson, PAS, Delaware
Page 3
Scholarship Recipients: Jessie Dyer, Kevin Farmer, and Phuong Ly
Joint Session with Partners
J O I N T C O N F E R E N C E N E W S L E T T E R
"PARTNERS RETOOLING FOR THE FUTURE TO ACCOMPLISH UNITY AND DIVERSITY."
soils professor while in college.
“This scholarship is great outreach
for NRCS. The scholarship
compelled me to look into NRCS
and helped me see if this was
somewhere I wanted to work.”
These are only a handful of recipients that have benefited from the scholarships. So, come out tonight and put your money where your mouth is—in an effort to continue raising dollars for the scholarship funds.
Looking for a job in Hawaii? How about promotion
opportunities in Florida or
developmental pathways in
Montana? Visit Count Basie
Ballroom (CC1) on the second
floor and see the career fair for
more details about job
opportunities in the agency.
Here’s a brief look inside:
Montana is looking for an area
biologist, hydrologic technician,
public affairs specialist, soil
conservationist, and a soil
scientist.
Delaware has an open vacancy announcement for a
soil scientist.
Florida is advertising for an
archeologist, RC&D
coordinator, and a soil
conservationist.
The Pacific Islands Area is
hiring a management analyst,
soil conservationist and an
office assistant.
Kansas has vacancy
announcements for civil
engineering technicians, office
assistant, soil conservation
C A R E E R F A I R Submitted by: Jolene Lau, PAS, Pacific Islands Area
U P D A T E S
Registration:
If you have registered on-site and did not receive a conference bag, please check at t he registration desk on Wednesday.
If you have not received a program, extra copies are located at the registration desk.
Twenty states, as well as NHQ, centers and NEDC exhibited.
D I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y Page 4
H O S P I T A L I T Y R O O M U P D A T E S
please review the 10 “Clean House” Rules for better enjoyment of these activities. (The entire list of rules can be found at the registration desk.) If
somebody still needs to pay the $20 fee, please visit hospitality room 2122 to “Get Stamped.” The schedule is Monday through
Thursday 9 to 11pm.
Important Clean House Rules
We encourage our members to continue visiting our three Hospitality Rooms for more inter-organization networking. The Hospitality Rooms are 1856 (in the
Muehlebach Tower), 930 and 2122 (in Marriott Tower).
Monday night was a great
night, but due to excessive noise one room was asked to close early. For this reason we ask guests to
USDA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER AND EMPLOYER.
technician, and an RC&D coordinator.
Utah is looking for a
biologist, public affairs
specialist, and civil
engineer.
Alaska is hiring student
trainees.
Minnesota is advertising for a
district conservationist, soil
scientist, office assistant, and
an area resource
conservationist.
1. Get Stamped!!! All amenities have a cost. We will not serve food or beverage if you are not
identified with the paid stamp.
2. Keep it CLEAN!!!! Look for the nearest garbage can.
3. Noise, Keep it down!!!
4. Keep it inside!!! Keep networking in Hospitality Room areas, not hallways.
5. Rooms will open at 9:00 pm Monday thru Thursday. They will be closing at 11:30
pm sharp.
6. Help the Hospitality Room Representative in any way
you can. Remember that the success of this depends on your cooperation.
Please stop by the registration table to find out more information about the Hospitality Suites.
Currently, there are 689 individuals registered for this conference.
Room Changes (3/17):
10:00 am- 5:30 pm Investing in your future, Yardbird B
10:00 am-5:30 pm - NASS: What does the Census Say, Lido
Group Photos: March 17th, 5:30-7:00 pm - (by sign up only @ the registration desk), 3rd Floor floyer in the main Marriott Tower